Format: Single Elimination. Winners advance to future
rounds. Players may
optionally agree to play a pair of games (one as each side); in such
dual-game matches, ties are awarded to the lower-seeded player. Byes will be given to the highest-seeded players in the first round to produce a perfect number of players for the second round. If a winner drops out (which has not happened in more
than 18 years), the highest-seeded player, who has not received a bye, will receive a bye.

Next Start Date: September 15th, 2017; Late Entry allowed until
October 21st, 2017 at 6 pm Eastern

Final Ranking: The final four may advance into a
championship and consolation match to determine first through fourth
place. Alternatively, those who would advance to a consolation match
may accept third and fourth place based on the finish of their
opponent who advances to the championship (i.e., the individual
defeated by the champion in the next-to-last round would be third
place).

# of Rounds: 6 Maximum

Participants: First 64 BPA Members to sign up. Non-members
who wish to play must join the BPA as associate members
for $10 (or a higher membership level if desired).

Round Length: 4 months

Seeding: By AREA ranking as of September 1st (those without one
will be ranked in the order of sign-up as if their rating were
5000).

Pairings: After ordering the players by AREA ranking, the
list will be divided in half with the top half playing the second
half. For example, suppose seven players have the ratings shown in the
first column. They'd be paired as shown in the second column:

A simpler example: Suppose there are 16 players. 1-8 are the top
half, 9-16 are the second half. #1 plays #9, #2 plays #10, etc.

Drop Outs: Players may drop out at the end of any game. A player may surrender at any point during a game.

Incomplete Games: All games which are incomplete at the conclusion of
a round will be adjudicated per the universal format..

Reporting: Semi-finalists and
finalists
are encouraged to report the status of their games in as much detail
as desired. In each round, the USN player must report the PoC score at the end of
each game turn.

Trophy: The undefeated champion will receive the
Boardgame
Players' Association "PBEM VITP Single Elimination" Championship Plaque. The top
finisher will also have his/her name engraved on the traveling World Championship
Trophy. The undefeated champion automatically qualifies for the next Top 10
Invitational Bracket. The BPA will award points toward its Annual Caesar
Award (Competitor of the Year) for the top six places. 2nd place goes to
the defeated finalist. Baring a consolation match, 3rd place goes to the semi-finalist defeated by the
winner; 4th place to the semi-finalist defeated by the runner-up.
5th place goes to the quarter-finalist defeated by the winner; 6th place to the
quarter-finalist defeated by the runner-up.